drink coffee for less body fat, more muscle, study suggests
2 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
we independently select everything we recommend. buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
see more toronto sun on google — save as a preferred source
not only is that cup of coffee a great morning pick-up, but it may also be good for your health.
according to a study from the university of oulu in finland, the key to a leaner body could be found in that cup of java.
researchers from the university believe those who drink coffee regularly had a leaner body composition with less body fat and more muscle mass, compared to those who didn’t consume it.
the study, entitled “associations of habitual coffee intake with testosterone and cardiometabolic markers,” was published in the european journal of nutrition. it surveyed more than 2,200 people about their health, diet, physical activity, medication, diagnosed health conditions and lifestyle habits, which include daily coffee consumption.
of those surveyed, the amount of coffee consumed ranged from none to about five cups a day.
how the survey was conducted
after not drinking coffee and fasting overnight, researchers estimated body fat and muscle, collected blood from participants, and gave them a glucose drink to see how their bodies handled sugar over a two-hour period.
the participants who drank more java had more skeletal muscle mass, lower total body fat and less visceral fat — fat that’s around internal organs that’s linked to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and inflammatory skin conditions, per the new york post.
while there’s a link between the beverage and less body fat and more muscle, the findings don’t prove that coffee directly reduces fat or builds muscle.
however, researchers were able to link higher coffee consumption to lower levels of leucine, isoleucine and valine, three branched-chain amino acids, which are protein building blocks. high levels of the three amino acids are strongly associated with insulin resistance and higher diabetes risk.
advertisement
lower levels of the three branched-chain amino acids are present in a healthy metabolic pattern, however the study’s findings didn’t show whether coffee had specifically lowered the amino acids.
the downside of drinking more coffee
drinking more coffee doesn’t mean everything is beneficial to your health. the study also revealed that increased java intake led to less favourable health outcomes, such as higher levels of lipoprotein and lower yields of omega-3 fats in men.
men and women also had different glucose responses to more coffee.
men had lower fasting insulin and lower insulin levels, while women had fewer and weaker links between glucose control and coffee.
recommended video
share story
